25 Days of Christmas 2014
by Coopereid
Summary: A series of oneshots based on the 25 Days of Christmas Challenge, with several prompts and varied pairings involving the BAU team, past and present. Rating may possibly change for later oneshots.
1. Mistletoe: JJ & Emily

**Author's Note:** I decided to take the 25 Days of Christmas Challenge for the second year in a row, mixing up the pairings and ideas for each day!

* * *

><p><span><strong>Mistletoe<br>****Pairing:** JJ/Emily

Unwinding at Garcia's house was something that the three ladies of the teams would do after a particularly hard case. This time, it was a stressful missing child case, and luckily, they'd found him in the nick of time. When they stepped off of the jet and saw Garcia standing there, JJ and Emily exchanged a look of relief and walked over, getting into her car. Garcia opened her mouth to speak, but seeing the looks on their faces, she shut it again and turned her attention to her car, starting it and driving back to her apartment.

JJ and Emily were sitting on the couch, Emily slipping off her shoes and pushing them under the table with her feet while JJ put her feet up on the couch, curling up on a single couch cushion.

"Nobody was injured this time, right?" Garcia called from the kitchen.

JJ shook her head, running a hand through her hair. "The team is completely intact physically, and the little boy went to the hospital as a precautionary measure, but he's fine."

"Thank _God_. I love you guys, I do, but damn it if I don't want to slap you silly when you do something to end up in the hospital. Especially Reid, that boy is going to cause me to go prematurely gray, I swear it."

Emily laughed. "Pretty sure he's doing that to all of us. He's probably going to give Hotch his first gray hair and Jack won't be able to take credit for it."

Garcia stepped into the living room, holding out a wine glass to each of them. "My pull out couch is yours for the sleeping tonight Boss Man says we don't have to be in until 9:30 tomorrow and I say we take the opportunity to sleep in a teeny tiny bit."

"I'll drink to that," Emily mumbled, taking a sip.

Garcia grinned as she watched JJ lean her glass over to Emily's, clinking it softly before taking a sip of her own. She sat in her chair and opened up the bottle, pouring herself a glass and turning on some romantic comedies on TV.

After a few drinks, they all decided to call it a night and put on their pajamas before going to bed. Garcia grabbed a few blankets from her closet walking out to the living room and pulling out the bed from the couch, making it for them.

"Garcia, we could've done it," Emily said, walking in and taking out her earrings, putting them into a small pocket of her go-bag.

She put up her hand. "Don't worry, it's my pleasure." She set a couple of pillows down, fluffing them. "Just want you to be comfortable."

"I don't think it'll take much. I was ready to pass out on the flight," she explained, sitting on the bed and stretching.

"Pen, do you still have that little lamp so we're not sleeping in pitch black?" JJ asked, stepping out of the bathroom.

Garcia put up a finger before leaning over, flicking it on. "Done and done."

"One of the many reasons I love you." She tucked her toothbrush into her go-bag and zipped it up, sitting beside Emily and pulling the blanket over herself. "Night."

"Not so fast," Garcia spoke up.

Emily raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

She smirked, pointing above them. "For the upcoming holiday season, I did some decorating."

"And why does that matter?"

JJ looked up at her ceiling and groaned, eyeing Garcia. "_Seriously_? How old are you?"

She shrugged. "Old enough to know that you shouldn't disrespect the almighty mistletoe."

Emily rolled her eyes. "You're actually the worst." She leaned over, resting her hand on JJ's cheek before leaning in, pressing her lips against JJ's.

JJ blushed, pulling back and eyeing Garcia. "We can get revenge, you know."

Garcia shrugged, smiling. "It'll be interesting to see whatever it may be. Good night, my sweets!" she announced before walking to her bedroom.

JJ eyed Emily. "Pictures of her on ladies' night?"

Emily shook her head slightly. "I think we need to go bigger and more embarrassing."

"This'll be fun," JJ said, lying down, Emily wrapping her arm around JJ's waist.


	2. Hot Chocolate: Reid & Blake

**Hot Chocolate  
><strong>**Pairing:** Reid/Blake friendship

When Spencer heard that their latest case would be in Massachusetts, he immediately realized that he'd be able to spend some time with Alex again. They talked on the phone and texted, but it honestly felt like he hadn't seen her in ages. He'd run it by Hotch, and he agreed to the team taking a later flight home. When asked if he wanted the rest of the team to know, he said no. For once, he wanted some time with her, one on one, and after all of the other cases in the area, he'd had to share her with everybody else on the team. No offense meant to any of them, but there was something about her company that was just different and more pleasant.

They had solved the case in a day and a half, and due to a possible storm, Hotch had decided that the team could fly home in the morning, extending their stay at the hotel another night. He had given Spencer the keys to one of the SUVs and told him he'd pick him up at the field office when he returned it if he'd text when he left Alex's. Spencer nodded his agreement and gave him a smile before getting into the car, driving.

The first stop he made was at a coffee shop to pick up a couple of hot chocolates with whipped cream. Then he went to a newsstand and picked up a couple of different newspapers, setting them on the passenger seat of the car. He drove to her house, parking in the driveway, and he was relieved when he saw her car beside his. He put the newspaper into his bag and picked up the tray of hot chocolates, walking to her front door and knocking.

She opened the door, a huge smile on her face. "Spencer! I didn't know you were around."

"I uh, I thought I'd surprise you. Is this a bad time?"

She shook her head. "Not at all!" she stepped back, holding open the door. "Come on in, I just started a fire."

"That sounds fantastic." He set the tray on the table in the living room before shedding his coat and scarf, hanging them by the door, and taking off his wet shoes.

"So, a visit from Doctor Spencer Reid. What makes me worthy?"

He mock laughed. "Well, I was just thinking," he started, opening up his bag, "some hot chocolate and crossword puzzles would be a good idea, for old time's sake." He took out the newspapers, holding them up. "Maybe even a challenge?"

She smirked, opening a drawer and taking out a couple of pens. "You dare to challenge _me_ to crossword puzzles?" she asked, holding one out to him.

He took the pen, sitting on her couch and nodding. "I think I do. I'm already winning. I got the hot chocolate first so it's not scalding our mouths when we drink it."

She grabbed one of the hot chocolates from the tray, taking a sip. "Indeed you did." She set it on the table next to her chair and sat down, picking up one of the newspapers. "On the count of 3, we go through this paper, get to the crossword, and the first to finish wins. Sound fair?"

"More than fair."

She counted it out and the two of them rustled through their papers, finding the crossword puzzles and uncapping their pens.

The first puzzle had been won by Alex, and the second by Spencer. Rather than race on the last one, they decided to go back and forth and solve it together. It had been Spencer's idea, and Alex had taunted him that it was because he was afraid to lose, but he retorted that he didn't want to embarrass her. They made it through the last puzzle and enjoyed some small talk before Spencer checked his watch, sighing.

"Everything okay?" she asked, setting down her now-empty cup of hot chocolate.

He shook his head. "I need to get the SUV back to the field office and have Hotch get me so we can make it back to the hotel at a normal hour. As fun as this has been, the real world is outside of that door."

"I'll show you out," she said, getting up and walking over to the door.

Spencer slipped on his shoes, tying them, and pulled on his jacket and scarf. "Coming down to DC anytime soon?" he asked, taking the keys out of his pocket.

She thought about it and gave him a smile. "We'll see. I do have students going on break soon and I'm not teaching a course in the winter semester."

"In that case, I look forward to your surprise visit," he said, smiling at her and waving before heading out.


	3. Snow: JJ, Reid, & Morgan

**Snow  
><strong>**Pairing:** N/A

They stepped off of the plane to the first snow of the winter in DC. Hotch and Gideon had ignored it, immediately heading to their cars and getting inside, turning up the heat. Everyone else was heading to their car except for Spencer, who was standing in one spot, staring up at the sky.

JJ nudged Derek with her elbow. When he asked her what was up, she smiled, motioning toward Spencer.

"See something you like, Pretty Boy?" Derek asked, walking over to him.

He shrugged slightly, staring up at the sky and holding out his hand to catch a snowflake. "It's interesting."

"...What's interesting?" Derek asked. "The fact that it's snowing? Welcome to DC."

"I've never seen it before," he said softly, looking down at a snowflake that had fallen into his cupped hand. "It's fascinating."

JJ looked at him, wide-eyed. "You've _never_ seen snow? Ever?"

"Well, I've seen snow of course, in books and movies and things of the such. The thing is, I'm originally from Las Vegas, and snow isn't exactly common there. I left Las Vegas in May, came to the academy, studied for a few months, and immediately joined the team. I guess I should correct my statement to 'I've never _experienced_ it before."

"...Seriously?" JJ asked. When he nodded, she shook her head. "No way, this is not acceptable. You've _never _made a snowball or a snow angel or had a hot chocolate while watching the snow fall or anything like that?"

"Never," he confirmed, digging through his bag and taking out his car keys. "I suppose I should get home before this slicks up the roads and my usual fifteen minute commute takes me an hour." He looked up at his coworkers, waving before heading over to his car and unlocking the door.

JJ clicked her tongue. "This isn't acceptable."

"He's from warmer weather. It's not really that surprising," Derek told her. He saw the look on her face. "You have an idea, don't you?"

She smiled, nodding. "And _you're_ going to help me."

* * *

><p>Later that night, there was a knock on Spencer's door. He raised an eyebrow, confused. He didn't invite anybody over - at least he hadn't remembered doing so. He set his cup of coffee down on the table in his living room and got up, walking to the front door and opening it. When there was nobody standing there, he wondered if he'd really heard a knocking. Then he saw it coming at him from his side: a snowball, and it hit him in the chest.<p>

"What-"

"Welcome to winter, Spence!" JJ said to him.

He leaned out of his apartment door and saw JJ standing on one side, Derek on the other, both with snowballs in hand. "... Are those meant to be indoors?"

"No, kid, and neither are you," Derek said. "In five minutes, we'll be waiting for you in the park. If you don't show up? We're just going to have to whitewash your little snow virgin self."

He shook his head. "What do I need to do?"

"Bundle up, it's chilly out there. See you soon!"

Spencer reached over, grabbing his jacket and scarf, pulling them on and grabbing a pair of mittens. He slipped on his sneakers and opened his door to find that the two of them had left. He walked to the park across the street and found the two of them had several snowballs made, while JJ was laying on the ground, moving her arms back and forth.

"...What are you doing?"

"A snow angel," she told him, holding up her hand. "A little help?"

He looked at her, confused, before taking her hand and helping her up.

She pointed to the shape. "Snow angel, super simple. Lay down in the snow, move your arms and legs, and you're done."

"...And this is done for _fun_?"

"You bet. Now get down there."

"...But my clothes will get wet?"

"That's the point, kid," Derek said, pointing to the ground. "Now come on, what's the worst that could happen?"

"Pneumonia?"

JJ eyed him. "_Please_?"

He sighed, lying down on the ground and looking at JJ. When she moved her arms, he mimicked her, doing the same with his legs. JJ helped him up a couple of minutes later and pointed to the shape. "And you've _officially_ made your first snow angel."

That night was one of many firsts for Spencer. It was the first time he experienced snow, the first time he made a snow angel, the first time he had a snowball fight, the first time he walked through the park in the snow, and it was also the very first time in his life he felt like he had friends.


	4. Candy Canes: Team (Kate era)

**Candy Canes  
><strong>**Pairing:** N/A

When she first joined the team, Kate learned early on that Spencer had a bit of a sweet tooth. The first time she heard him order his coffee, she was sure that she'd misheard him when he said not two but _four_ sugars. Then when she saw him make his coffee, she watched as he put in spoonful after spoonful of sugar, stirring it in and taking a sip, seemingly satisfied with it. The only explanation she could come up with was that he didn't like his coffee bitter and needed to do something to it to liven it up.

She walked into work one day and found him putting several small boxes into a drawer in his desk.

She raised an eyebrow, turning to JJ and nudging her arm, motioning toward him. "What's he doing?"

JJ looked up and watched him for what couldn't be more than five seconds before eyeing Kate. "Stocking up. 'Tis the season," she mumbled, before turning back to the case files on her desk.

She knew this had to be normal behavior, so decided to dismiss it and go to her desk, setting her coat and bag down and grabbing her first case file, opening it up.

Later in the day was when she started to smell it: peppermint. At first she thought she was imagining it, as nobody else in the bullpen seemed bothered by it. Then as the day went on, it got stronger. She was sure she was slowly losing it when she reached out as Garcia walked by, tapping her arm.

Garcia looked at her, gasping. "Please tell me this is about the video of the penguin being tickled!" she squealed, leaning against the desk.

"It's not, but I did see it and Meg found me with the laptop, clapping my hands excitedly. Have you seen the one with the baby owls looking at the camera?"

"It's a new favorite." She sipped her tea, tapping her fingers against the mug. "If this wasn't about baby animals, what's up?"

"Okay, I know it can't just be me. Do you smell that?"

Garcia looked at her, confused, before sniffing, nodding. "'Tis the season."

"JJ said the same thing about Reid. What does it _mean_?"

Garcia smirked, patting her back. "Welcome to the team. We all found out on our own where it was coming from."

She was starting to get frustrated. It was like she was the new kid who transferred into high school who wasn't told where all the cool hangout spots were. It was ridiculous, but it was bothering her that nobody was just _telling_ her what was going on. She'd pulled Morgan aside when he was walking to Rossi's office, and he'd just told her she'd figure it out soon enough.

It wasn't until later that afternoon when she'd finally figured it out. She'd looked up from her work when she heard Spencer opening the drawer of his desk, tearing open one of the boxes and taking out what was inside before closing the drawer again. He then ripped open the package and dropped a couple of mini candy canes into his coffee.

She hit her hand against her desk. "_Seriously_?"

Spencer jumped slightly, looking over at her. "Excuse me?"

"I've smelled peppermint all day and it was driving me up a wall, and it's because you're putting candy canes in your coffee? It's _that_ simple?"

He shrugged. "'Tis the season," he said, opening the drawer again and motioning toward it. "Would you like one?"

She took a deep breath before sighing, nodding. She got up from her desk, walking over and reaching into the drawer, taking one out and unwrapping it. "What the hell. 'Tis the season, right?" she said, sucking on it and walking back to her desk, sitting down.


	5. Christmas Tree: Hotch & Prentiss

**Christmas Tree  
><strong>**Pairing: **Hotch/Prentiss

Hotch was at his storage unit, taking out several totes of Christmas decorations.

Emily sighed, picking one up and putting it into the backseat of his car. "Are you sure Jack is going to be okay with letting me join in on the decorating? I know it's something the three of you used to do as a family, and you usually do it with Jessica since-" she paused, "if there's a problem, I don't mind backing off. Really."

He shook his head, handing her another tote. "He knows that Jessica is out of town for the weekend and I'm sure he doesn't mind the company."

She put it into the backseat, nodding. "Okay, but if he has a problem-"

"He won't," he assured her, stepping out and closing the unit, locking it. "You _are_ aware he's the one that _wanted_ the two of us to start seeing each other outside of work?"

She laughed to herself. "Oh yes. 'Dad, I love you, but you need a girl', then he pointed to me and said 'like her!'. Good times."

"He'll love your company, trust me." He took out the keys, getting into the car and starting it.

When they arrived back at the building, it took them a few trips to get all of the Christmas stuff out of the car and up into Hotch's apartment. They started unloading the basic decorations and putting them up, leaving the ornaments for last so they could decorate the tree when Jack got home from school.

"How long until Jack gets here?" she asked, opening up a couple of totes.

"His friend's mom should be dropping him off soon," Hotch explained, hanging up some garland around the apartment.

"I'll put on some cocoa. You picked up mini marshmallows, right?" she asked, walking out to the kitchen.

"In the cabinet with your 'your coffee is horrible and you need to buy some good stuff' coffee. Are you sure you're not just a female Reid?"

She mock laughed, opening up the cabinet and taking out the cocoa and marshmallows. "I don't know, you're the one sleeping with me." She saw him wince and make a face. "Thought so."

After Jack came home, Hotch looked at him. "Do you have any homework?"

He shook his head. "Not today! We can do Christmas stuff. Especially the tree. I love doing the tree."

Hotch clicked his tongue. "I guess so. How about some cocoa first?"

Jack nodded, going to the kitchen, where Emily set down two mugs. "One in a Captain America mug, and sorry, Aaron, that one isn't for you."

"I'll survive."

"Thanks, Emily!" Jack said, sitting down and taking a sip.

"Too many marshmallows?" she asked, motioning toward it and sipping her own.

He shook his head again. "No such thing."

"I'll agree with that."

Once their cocoa was finished, they went out to the living room.

"Jack, you can get started on your box," Hotch told him, motioning toward it.

"...Can Emily help me?"

"I guess you'll have to check with her," Hotch said, eyeing her.

She smiled. "More than okay with me." She walked over, sitting beside him on the floor and looking through the tote. "What's your favorite one?"

Jack hummed to himself, looking through and taking out a Captain America ornament. "This one."

"Nice! Where'd this one come from?"

"Dad bought it for me," he said, standing up and putting it on the tree.

As they went through the different ornaments, he explained where each one came from before putting it on the tree. After they finished up with Jack's ornaments, they moved on to some from the other boxes, including 'Baby's First Christmas' and family ornaments, including Haley, Hotch, and Jack.

"When can we get another one, Dad?" Jack asked, pointing to it.

"Whenever you want. They have plenty of father and son ones."

Jack shook his head. "I meant one with Emily. You _have_ been with each other for like years."

She paused putting on her garland, eyeing Hotch, who smiled. "Whenever you want, I guess. Now come on, buddy, let's get the star on top."

Jack picked up the star off of the table and Hotch crouched down, allowing Jack to climb on his shoulders before standing up. Jack reached over, putting it on the top of the tree. "How does it look, Emily?" he asked, turning to her.

She looked at the tree and the two of them, grinning. "Perfect."


	6. Angel: Garcia & Rossi

**Angel  
><strong>**P****airing: **Garcia/Rossi friendship

Everyone was standing around Emily's desk, discussing their plans for their upcoming weekend away from work.

JJ smiled. "We're taking Henry to see Santa at the mall, then a day of baking."

"...The mall on a Saturday before Christmas? Do you have a death wish?" Derek asked.

She mock laughed. "It's part of parenthood. You'd know if you could hold onto a girlfriend for more than a night or two."

He put a hand over his heart, faking pain, before turning to Spencer. "What about you, kid?"

He shrugged. "Catch up on some reading, I guess." He turned to Garcia. "You?"

"Starting my decorating considering I've had NO time to do it since this insane serial killer month started." She looked up as Rossi walked by. "What about you, Italian stallion?"

He paused in his tracks. "What about me?"

"Any plans for the BAU-free weekend?"

"Just putting up my tree and enjoying some scotch I suppose."

"Nothing too exciting then?" Emily asked.

"Plenty exciting for me, myself, and I. Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to finish before I start said BAU-free weekend, and I believe you do too." He gave them a nod before taking off to his office.

"Somebody's in a mood," JJ said, raising her eyebrows before going back to her own desk.

"...Do you really think he starts the holiday season _alone_?" Garcia asked, turning to Derek.

"Probably. It wouldn't surprise me." He shrugged it off before sitting back at his desk.

The following morning, Garcia had succeeded in decorating her entire apartment in a mere few hours. Because of this, she decided to spend the rest of her morning and part of her afternoon baking. Looking at the baked goods she'd made, she thought about bringing them all to work on Monday, but then remembered that Rossi was spending his entire weekend himself. She could understand that he was a loner, but nobody should start the holidays all alone. She even had Kevin come over to help her for a while before he had plans with some of his tech friends. Instead of bringing them all to work, she put some into a container to take to work, and packed up the rest to go into her car.

When there was a knock on his door, Rossi thought for sure he'd imagined it. It was his weekend off and he hadn't made plans with everybody, and he'd be content spending the entire 48 hours alone. He set down his glass, walking to the front door and opening, surprised to find Garcia standing there.

"...Can I help you, Penelope?"

She handed him the boxes before stepping inside. "I baked, and as always, I overdid it, so rather than them going to waste, I decided to share the sweet wealth," she explained, pulling her scarf off.

"Call it a hunch, but would you like to come in?" he asked as she shed her coat.

"Certainly." She hung it by the door and turned to him as he shut the front door. "What's up?"

"...Nothing much?" he explained, walking over and sitting beside his Christmas tree, which was completely empty.

"Is this how you normally decorate for the holidays?" she asked, motioning toward it.

"I like things simple," he explained, taking a sip of his scotch.

She scoffed. "That is absolutely no way to live." She walked over, opening up a tote by the tree and taking out an angel. "Come on, this deserves to be on top at least."

He jumped out of his seat, carefully taking it from her as if it was an infant. "Be careful with that," he growled, placing it gingerly on the table.

"...Sentimental value?" she guessed.

"You won't leave it alone until I tell you, will you?"

She shrugged slightly, sitting across from him. "Sorry, it's a gift and a curse."

He sighed. "If you must know, it was a gift from Carolyn our first Christmas. It was way too expensive and I told her it was a ridiculous idea, but she fell in love with it and bought it right on the spot. I somehow ended up with it in the divorce and every year it would go on top. This year, I was hoping we'd be celebrating together… but obviously, that's not going to happen."

She paused, eyeing it. "Well, she had great taste, it's beautiful. And what would she think if you stopped with a tradition she started because she was no longer around?"

He laughed softly. "She'd verbally kick my ass into next week for moping."

"As well she should." She stopped, chewing on her cheek, before speaking up again. "I lost my parents when I was 18, and obviously I got pretty much everything of theirs. They were… hippies, at their finest, and total pack rats. Everything had sentimental value and they kept it. I couldn't bring myself to throw any of it away, so it was all put in a storage unit here. So I get having stuff that you can't look at because it's painful, I do. But eventually? I realized that those random little trinkets and the crap all meant something, so I put a lot of it into ornaments for my tree or decorations in my apartment or even some of the stuff in my office."

He chuckled. "That explains _so_ much."

She grinned. "I have a game plan. I'm going to go out, and you're going to start decorating the tree. When I get back, we'll finish, you'll put on Carolyn's angel where it belongs, then we're going to spend the night watching Christmas movies and drinking red wine."

He looked at her, confused. "I don't drink red wine."

She smiled at him. "You'll learn," she said, winking, before picking up her purse and putting on her jacket, walking out.


	7. Pie: Garcia & Morgan

**Pie  
><strong>**P****airing:** Garcia/Morgan friendship

Garcia walked around the BAU, checking with the team to see what they'd be bringing to her holiday get together she was having that weekend at Rossi manor. JJ offered to make some baked goods with Henry, Rossi said he would provide the food for dinner because no matter how many times he gave cooking lessons he didn't trust anyone else to do it, Hotch said he would bring appetizers, and as she wasn't skilled in the kitchen, Emily offered to bring the alcohol.

She walked up to Spencer's desk, notebook in hand and pen at the ready. "What about you, Boy Wonder? What will you be bringing to the holiday extravaganza?"

He looked up from his work. "...Has anyone offered to bring plates, cups, and things of the such yet?"

"Not yet."

He nodded slightly. "Then put me down."

"They'd better be festive," she sing-songed, writing down his name, before tapping Derek's arm as he walked by. "And you, chocolate thunder?"

"Me what?"

"I've got JJ on cookies, Rossi on food, Hotch on apps, Emily on the booze, and Reid on the paper goods. What'll you bring to the party? And no, your presence doesn't count."

He laughed softly. "What about pie?"

"So we can all try to cut into it this year and they're frozen again?" Emily asked, looking up at him.

He rolled his eyes. "_No_. I'll make one this year. Does that satisfy you, princess?"

"Derek Morgan baking? We'll see," she said, taking her seat and reaching for her next case file.

He turned back to Garcia. "Pie, and I won't get it from the freezer department. Promise."

She saluted him and wrote it down before returning to her lair.

Derek wouldn't admit it, but he had done a Google search for the easiest pie to make. After clicking a few links, he decided on a chocolate cream pie with a graham cracker crust, because it would save him the trouble of having to deal with making a crust. He'd checked the list of ingredients and bought everything he would need, including some extra, just in case. He could've made it completely from scratch, but decided it'd be easier if he just used chocolate pudding instead. When he got home from the grocery store, he mixed the milk and the pudding mix in a pan and stirred it. He laughed to himself that this was ridiculously easy and stepped away for a few minutes to watch some TV. He ended up getting sucked in by some sports highlights and didn't remember the mixture on his stove until he smelled something weird. Going out to the kitchen, he saw what he assumed was pudding that had boiled over on his stove. He immediately turned off the stove and moved the pan off the burner, taking a picture with his phone and sending it to Garcia.

_Okay, so my first attempt at pie didn't go so well_.

He didn't think anything of it when Garcia didn't respond, so he cleaned off the stove once it cooled down. When there was a knock on the door, he walked over, opening it and raising an eyebrow.

"Penelope?"

She stepped inside, taking off her jacket. "I can not have you turning your stove into a science experiment, so I will be here for the second attempt and help you where you need it. Now, tell me what you did wrong."

"..Why would you think I did something wrong?"

She pulled up the picture on her phone. "That doesn't happen by itself."

"I followed the directions!" he defended. "I put in the milk and the pudding and I stirred."

"...And did you leave it on the burner?"

He winced. "Possibly."

"Uh huh, that 'possibly' translates to a 'definitely'." She patted his back. "Come on, off to the kitchen."

She watched over his shoulder while he cooked, and didn't let him get distracted by anything after mixing everything together. When he poured the mix into the crust and reached for the whipped cream, she gave him a look.

"And what are you doing?"

"...Putting the whipped cream on top?"

She shook her head, batting at his hand. "You put that on top of hot pudding and you'll have a mess. You have to wait until right before you serve it to put that on so it doesn't get all runny and gross on top. Understood?"

He put up his hands defensively. "Yes ma'am."

When Derek walked into the party with a pie tin in hand, JJ looked at him.

"Okay, if it's from the freezer aisle, at least he took it out of the box this year?"

He shook his head. "Only time this was near a freezer was when I put it on my kitchen counter to cool," he explained, setting it on Rossi's counter and opening it, taking out the whipped cream and putting it on top, as well as some chocolate shavings.

Emily raised her eyebrows, impressed. "Well I'll be. Derek Morgan can _bake_."

He looked at Garcia, winking. "I guess I had a muse."


	8. Tinsel: Prentiss & Seaver

**Tinsel  
><strong>**Pairing: **Prentiss/Seaver

Ashley had been able to leave work early that day and decided she would get a jumpstart on the Christmas decorating that she and Emily hadn't been able to do, considering their busy schedules. She'd gone out to the store and picked out a few new things, such as tinsel and some ornaments that hadn't survived last Christmas season, because they'd been hanging too low on the tree and Sergio had decided they were his new play toys. She also decided that she would pick up something to make for dinner later that night, considering Emily would probably be staying late at work and want a hot meal when she got home.

After leaving the store, she walked into the apartment and Sergio was circling at her feet, wanting attention. She smiled, setting the bags down and crouching down, picking him up and scratching behind his ears.

"Well, I missed you too," she said, kissing his head and smirking to herself as he started purring softly against her.

She held him close to her, like a small child, as she unpacked the bags, setting everything on the table and folding up the reusable bags, putting them in the pantry and closing the door.

Once she was finally able to put him down, she took out their plastic Christmas tree, which they had because neither of them could ever remember to water the real tree they'd gotten a few years back. She had set it up and put on the lights by herself, then moved on to the tinsel garland. She realized that she had Sergio's attention as she worked with it, and he watched her every move as she wrapped it around the tree. She looked at what she had left over and smiled to herself, making small tinsel balls out of them for Sergio to play with.

Emily walked into the apartment and immediately saw something shiny whizz past her. Assuming it was just another new toy someone had bought for Sergio and given to Ashley, she dismissed it and shrugged off her jacket, hanging it by the door. She then saw another one go by her soon after, and Sergio running after it. As she kicked off her shoes and put them in the bedroom, she saw yet another of whatever it was, followed by her cat chasing it.

"Ash, did Sergio get into the catnip while we were at work again?" she called out, setting her bag down and taking out her phone, putting it on to charge.

Ashley laughed. "No, though that was definitely an entertaining afternoon." She pulled a pan out of the oven, setting it on the stove and making plates.

Emily sniffed, and smirked, pleased. "Oh, please tell me you made chicken and potatoes."

"You bet."

As they sat down to dinner, Emily saw the gleam of something shiny out of the corner of her eye.

"Okay," she started, setting down her fork, "I must be going crazy. Either that or we have some _very_ sparkly mice running around."

Ashley bit her lip, holding back a chuckle. "And why would that be?"

"Serg has been chasing _something_ since I've been home, I haven't seen it, but I've just caught it out of the corner of my eye as it goes by, and it's driving me bonkers."

Ashley shook her head, getting up and walking to their bedroom, picking up one of the balls and walking back, setting it on the table between them.

Emily picked it up, inspecting it. "...I've been losing my mind over a ball of _tinsel_?!"

Ashley nodded, grinning. "Part of me thinks I should've kept it going to screw with you."

Emily mock laughed. "Just for that? You cooked _and_ you're doing the dishes."


	9. Ice Skating: Alex & James Blake

**Ice skating  
><strong>**Pairing:** Alex/James

After moving to Boston, the two of them decided they wanted to do all of the touristy stuff and get it out of the way. They had taken an afternoon to walk the Freedom Trail, visited the North End and the South End, went to the Museum of Science and Aquarium, shopped at Faneuil Hall, ate at Cheers, attended a Red Sox game and a Bruins game, frequented the Boston Public Library, and even went on a Duck Tour.

Alex was pretty sure she'd done it all until one afternoon when James came home from work.

"When's the last time you went ice skating?"

Alex laughed to herself. "_Years_. I'm pretty sure if I got back on skates, I'd end up on the ice." She closed her book, staring up at him. "Dare I ask why?"

He sat down beside her. "Well, one of my colleagues was mentioning the Frog Pond, and how in the winter, it's a public ice skating rink. $15 and we can go skating as long as we want, rentals included."

She gave him a look. "And I take this as your way of saying you want to try it?"

He shrugged. "Well, it can't hurt. Unless of course we both fail miserably and fall on the ice. But if we do that… at least we'll get some ice on it pretty quick."

She scoffed, swatting at him. "_Fine_. Pick an afternoon where I don't have class and we'll go."

He grinned. "Thank you."

"Mhm. No YouTube," she warned, going back to her book

Sure enough, it had taken James no time to pick an afternoon for the two of them to go ice skating. The two of them took a cab to the common and James took care of the rentals while she sat on a bench nearby. He walked over, holding up the skates.

"Your lucky day, the last pair in your size."

"Lucky me," she said, putting on her earmuffs and scarf before taking them, setting them on the bench beside her.

They laced up their skates and carefully walked over to the rink, stepping on the ice.

"You know, if you want, I can rent one of the children's skating aids for you?" James offered, pointing to them.

She shook her head. "I think I'll be fine. Though if you'd like one, I'd hold your hand while you use it," she teased, smiling and stepping onto the ice.

When he stepped onto the ice, he slipped and gripped her arm.

She laughed. "And when's the last time you were skating?"

"...It's been a while," he admitted.

She smiled and the two of them took a few slow laps around the ice before they started skating.

After they'd gone around quite a few times, Alex stepped off, eyeing him.

"How about we go home and enjoy some cocoa by the fire?" she asked.

He looked down at his clothes, which were wet from falling on the ice. "I think that sounds _fantastic."_

They unlaced their skates and returned them before taking a cab back home, where they'd both changed into pajamas and spent the rest of their day in front of the fireplace.


	10. Frost: JJ & Team (Emily era)

**Frost  
><strong>**P****airing:** N/A

Will had taken Henry to school that morning, which meant that JJ actually had a chance to sleep in a few extra minutes. Considering they just had a long case and she barely slept, this was heaven to her. She hadn't bothered to check the conditions outside before she started her daily routine of enjoying her coffee, taking a shower, and getting ready for work. Once she was ready to leave, she packed up everything into her bag and picked up her go-bag to put into her backseat. When she stepped outside and saw her car, she groaned. It had obviously gotten very cold and rainy the previous night, as her car currently resembled a car-shaped icicle. She set her bags down in the driveway, sighing, before starting to get all of the frost off.

Emily walked into the office and saw everyone gathered by her desk.

She raised an eyebrow. "If this is an intervention, I swear, I only had a glass of wine last night because I needed to de-stress," she said, setting her bag down and sitting down.

Rossi shook his head. "Not the case, but good to know."

"Then what-"

Spencer motioned toward the clock. "JJ isn't in yet and didn't call in anything on the sick line."

"...And the big deal about this is?"

"The one thing you can depend on JJ for is being early to work every single day, especially since she had Henry. The fact that she's late means something, and I'm taking bets. Reid, what do you think?"

He shrugged. "My guess is going to be traffic in her neighborhood or on one of the roads she takes to work."

"Typical," he said, eyeing Rossi. "You?"

"I'm going with something involving the kid: either he's sick or running late, which is making her run late."

Hotch clicked his tongue. "Dave took mine. I'll go with long line at the coffee shop."

Garcia hummed to herself. "She doesn't really stop for coffee anymore… I'm guessing she ran an errand before work and it took too long."

"I'm taking that she's spending way too long getting stuff off of her car from the freeze last night," Morgan said, looking at Emily, "you?"

She exhaled, thinking to herself. "...I guess… maybe… I don't know, you guys took all the good ones. Flat tire or overslept."

Garcia held up her phone. "I texted her and she _is_ coming to work today, so only time will tell."

Everyone had to go back to work, but Garcia promised to inform them as soon as she saw JJ coming into the building on the cameras. It wasn't until a half hour later she sent out a mass text and everyone was waiting by Emily's desk again.

JJ walked in hurriedly, walking to the kitchen and filling her refillable coffee mug, before putting her lunch into the fridge and running a hand over her face, going to walk back out.

"Going somewhere?" Garcia asked.

She jumped, putting a hand to her chest. "Way to scare a girl," she said, turning around and seeing the team standing there. "...What's going on?"

"Thanks for calling to let me know you were going to be late," Hotch started, "but out of curiosity, _why_ were you late?"

She groaned, sighing. "Well, Will took Henry this morning which gave me a few extra minutes of sleep. Unfortunately, I didn't take into consideration it was freezing last night, I walked out to the driveway, and my car was covered in ice. Couldn't even open the doors for a good ten minutes." Derek put his fist in the air victoriously. "...And what's that about?"

"We took bets on why you were running late and Morgan was right," Spencer started. "Unfortunately, the only thing he's won is bragging rights, because he didn't put anything on the line for said bet."

He shrugged. "It's good enough for me."

Hotch shook his head. "Back to work, everyone."


	11. Eggnog: Team (Emily era)

**Eggnog  
><strong>**Pairing: **N/A

JJ had the house to herself, as Will had decided to take Henry on a boys' weekend, so she decided to invite some of the team over for drinks. Hotch had declined, saying he was going to spend some time with Jack, and Rossi was catching up on some much needed sleep. She decided to put out some wine and beer, as well as make some spiked eggnog, as she knew it was one of Garcia's holiday favorites. Then she set up an air mattress in Henry's room and made sure the guest room was de-cluttered so if anyone needed to crash there, they could.

It wasn't long before everyone had shown up. Garcia, as usual, had brought snacks for everyone to munch on so they weren't going to be drinking on an empty stomach. As she'd predicted, Derek had gone for the beer, while Emily got her and Garcia a glass of wine.

JJ walked over, nudging Spencer with his elbow. "What'll it be, Spence?"

He looked at the offerings before shrugging, picking up a ladle and pouring some of the eggnog into a cup. "I suppose this won't be too bad."

JJ opened her mouth to speak, but Garcia put up her hand. "He has to learn."

"...Learn what?" Spencer asked, the glass raised to his lips.

JJ shook her head. "Absolutely nothing."

They decided to watch some Christmas movies to pass the time and unwind. JJ's movie collection was obviously geared toward children, considering everything she had she would watch with Henry. Even though they were all grown adults, they all picked out their favorite specials and movies to watch.

Derek eyed Spencer, eyebrow raised. His usual pale face was reddening. "What number glass is that for you, kid?"

Spencer shrugged, sipping the eggnog. "Four, maybe five? It's great. There's something to it that I can't quite figure out." He gasped, looking at the TV. "Shh, this is my favorite part!"

Emily bit down on her lip, smirking. "This is your favorite part? Really?"

"Come on, who doesn't love a good sing-along? The Heatmiser is a genius, I mean come _on_."

Garcia covered her mouth with her hand, holding back a giggle. "Let me get you something to eat, sweetie," she said, patting his cheek and getting up, walking out to the kitchen.

It turned out that Spencer _really_ enjoyed a good sing-along when he'd had a few drinks in him. Derek tried recording it to send out, but both JJ and Garcia gave him a glare that made him shiver, so he put his phone away and decided to just enjoy it firsthand. After they finished the rest of the movies, everyone decided whether they were getting their go-bags from the car or go home. Luckily, most of them thought to stay.

"Spence?" JJ asked. "What about you?"

"..._Maybe_ I'll stay." He held up his car keys. "I just- bag-"

"Got it," Garcia said, taking his keys and walking outside.

JJ made sure he changed into his pajamas once Garcia brought him his bag, and walked him to the guest room, making sure he didn't stumble into anything or hurt himself. She then made sure he made it into bed and once he fell asleep, left a water bottle and some Tylenol on the nightstand.

The following morning, Garcia knocked on the door.

Spencer groaned, burying his head in the pillow. "The answer is _no_."

She laughed to herself. "So I guess I don't need to ask if you're hungover."

He turned his head, glaring at her, before sighing. "Someone could've warned me the eggnog was tainted."

"Good point. Hey, Reid?"

He groaned again. "_What_?"

"We spiked the eggnog."

Before he could yell or possibly even swear at her, she closed the door and walked away, and he buried his head in the pillow again, going back to sleep.


	12. Cider: Team (Kate era)

**Cider  
><strong>**P****airing:** N/A

Kate Callahan was good at her job, and could always do everything that she set her mind to when she was at work. Unfortunately, that talent didn't carry over into her personal life. She wasn't a woman of many skills, outside of the job and raising Meg. One thing she did always succeed in, however, was making her mother's spiced cider recipe, and once Meg was old enough, she passed it on to her.

One day, she decided she'd bring it into work, along with some breakfast. The team was great at many things, but remembering to eat breakfast before throwing themselves into their work was not one of them. Some days it was good, considering the subject matter of what they looked at on a daily basis, but too often, someone's stomach rumbling would get everyone's attention, and that person would make a dash for the snack machine down the hall.

She woke up early, and once she'd had her coffee, got started on the recipe. She had it written on a recipe card in the back of a cabinet, but her mother had made it with her so many times growing up that she knew it like the back of her hand. After the cider was finished, she poured it into a large carafe to keep it warm and packed it into a bag, along with several cups. She then grabbed her car keys, starting up her car, before getting ready and heading out the door. There was a quick stop at the donut shop down the street for fresh apple cider donuts, then she made her way to the BAU.

Luckily, she was the first person who made it into work that morning. Considering they were having a briefing first thing that morning, she decided to set up everything in the BAU room. She set a table up against one of the walls, putting her bag down and unloading the carafe and cups, then the boxes of donuts. She stepped back, looking at her handiwork and smirking. Then she decided to reward herself with a cup of cider and a donut while she waited for everyone else.

JJ was the first to walk in, sniffing. "What smells so good?"

Kate motioned toward the table. "I made breakfast. Well, sort of? Baking and Kate are not a great combination, so the donuts are from a shop, but the spiced cider? That's an old family recipe and I figured on a day like this, we could all use it."

JJ raised her eyebrows, impressed, pouring herself a glass and grabbing a donut, sitting down. "It smells _delicious_."

Kate grinned. "Then I guess I did something right."

She watched as the rest of the team filed in and served themselves.

"If this is how it's going to be with Kate Callahan on the team, I approve," Garcia said, sitting down and sipping her cider. "Though, I warn you, if those donuts are yours, we're gonna have to have a bake off."

She laughed. "Believe me, _so_ not mine."

"Then we are a-okay."

Hotch smiled, shaking his head and looking at Garcia. "The case?"

Garcia groaned. "Can't have too much of a good thing, though I will be getting a refill on this fantastic cider."


	13. Peppermint: Garcia & Team (Emily era)

**Peppermint  
><strong>**Pairing:** N/A

Garcia was pretty sure that everyone else on the planet except her was into the pumpkin craze. Yes, it was delicious, and yes, it was fun and quirky and made everyone think of fall, but she didn't understand how people thought pumpkin belonged in _everything_. When winter finally came and peppermint took over, she couldn't have been more thrilled. To her, peppermint being everywhere made so much more sense. If you asked her, pumpkin was just overdone and overhyped, but peppermint? It was the taste of Christmas, and she loved Christmas, mainly because it was all about happiness and togetherness and she could use it as a distraction to distance herself from the job for a little while.

The first day her coffee shop had it available, she got herself a peppermint tea. When she went to the store and saw peppermint bark, she'd gotten a few containers of it: some to keep at her desk at work, and a few others for when she was at home. She also stocked up on different peppermint treats, including lip gloss, lotion, and even candles. Even the baked goods she made and brought into work somehow had peppermint included in them. Basically, if she went into a store and something had the word 'peppermint' on it, she was willing to try it out.

Spencer held up one of the peppermint cookies she'd brought in. "These are _really_ good. New recipe?"

She nodded. "Experimented with not just chunks of candy cane, but also peppermint extract. And it turned out _fantastic_. Also contemplating making little chocolate peppermint candies with it, just to see how they'll go over."

JJ motioned toward Spencer. "I think you have yourself a taste tester. If it has sugar, he'll take it."

Emily laughed. "He definitely won't mind, that's for sure." She eyed Garcia. "So, what new peppermint product did you buy yourself this week, aside from the baking aide?"

She clicked her tongue. "Well, peppermint body wash is a new discovery, and my skin _smells_ like Christmas all day. It's fabulous."

"And here I thought it was just the cookies," Emily teased.

Derek walked by, picking up one of the cookies out of the container and taking a bite. "Delicious as always, Baby Girl. Though I'm concerned."

She looked at him, confused. "...About what, dare I ask?"

"I think it's time for an intervention," he said with a smirk. When JJ scoffed, he turned to her. "_Everything_ is peppermint. She's even dressed in red and white."

"And the fact that you've yet to give her a seasonal sickening nickname is something that's intervention-worthy," Emily commented.

"If we're going to get started on who on this team needs interventions for what, we're _never_ getting back to work," JJ said, taking a final cookie before saluting everyone and going back to her desk.

"Is that your way of saying you don't want anymore baked goods?" she asked him.

He put up his hands. "And my mouth is shut, Penelope, my peppermint patty."

She grinned. "There we go."


	14. Gingerbread: LaMontagnes (godparents)

**Gingerbread**  
><strong>Pairing:<strong> N/A

When JJ needed to do some Christmas shopping, she decided to call on Henry's godparents to see if they could watch him while her and Will went out. Luckily, both of them had been able to babysit and agreed to do it together. She was grateful when they not only agreed, but there was also no case that came up and got in the way.

Early on Saturday morning, Spencer was the first person to knock on the front door.

She smiled. "Come on in, Spence. Henry's just finishing up his breakfast."

He stepped inside, hanging up his bag and jacket. "So you two are going to," he eyed Henry in the kitchen, "consult with Santa on Christmas presents?"

She gave him a thumbs up. "Bingo. Garcia should be here soon, so the three of you together should be a fun time."

"Oh, I bet," he said, taking a book out of his bag and sitting in the living room.

Shortly after Garcia had arrived, JJ and Will were heading out.

"Should I be warned about what you three will be up to this morning?" JJ asked, pulling on her jacket.

"Especially after last time," Will said, eyeing Garcia.

Spencer looked at them, confused. "What happened last time?"

"Everything was cleaned up by the time you got home," Garcia defended, "and no, nothing outrageous or out of the ordinary, I promise."

JJ looked her over. "And no crossed fingers… she's telling the truth." She walked over to the couch, lifting Henry's chin and giving him a kiss. "Be good."

"I will, mommy." He wrapped his arms around her neck, hugging her, before running over and hugging Will's legs. "Love you, daddy."

"And I love you," he said, picking him up and hugging him.

Once they'd left the driveway, Garcia clapped her hands together. "Okay, time to have some fun."

Spencer's eyes widened. "Before this happens, is this safe, does it break any laws, and would JJ allow it?"

She thought to herself. "Yes, no, and definitely. Now, are you in or not?"

He looked at Henry. "Should I do it too?"

Henry nodded and the two of them got up, following her to the kitchen. She opened up her bag, taking out a box and setting it in the middle of the table.

Spencer leaned over, reading it. "Gingerbread house kit?"

"...You've _never_ made a gingerbread house before? Ever?"

He shrugged slightly, pulling out Henry's chair. "It shouldn't be that surprising, considering I didn't have the most traditional of childhoods."

"Then it can be you _and_ Henry's first," she said, motioning toward the chair beside Henry's. "I'll teach you the ropes." She then looked at Henry. "Think we can teach Uncle Spence how it's done?"

"Uh huh, we can."

Spencer smiled, eyeing Garcia. "Teach me your ways."

She took out all of the sides and the roof, putting them on a plate and assembling it. As soon as the icing had dried, she set out several small bowls of candies and icing for them to decorate.

"While you boys work on decorating the house, I think I'll go make some residents. Sound fair?"

Henry gave her a thumbs up and turned to Spencer. "What first, Uncle Spence?"

He smiled, picking up the icing and drawing some windows and a door. "How about that?"

"And swirls on the roof?"

"I think we could do that." He picked it up again, putting a swirled pattern on the roof, along with some 'snow' on the ground around the house. "And I think you should choose what candy goes where."

Henry handed him a bowl of M&Ms, pointing to the front of the house, which Spencer took as him wanting it to make up the pathway leading to the door. While Spencer did that, he put several different colored gum drops on the roof. They then put different candies around the sides of the house and Henry made a border around the house.

Spencer sniffed, raising an eyebrow. "What smells so good?"

Garcia walked over with a plate. "Our gingerbread selves. At least they will be after Henry decorates us," she said, setting down more tubes of icing.

"And Mommy and Daddy?"

She clicked her tongue, walking back to the kitchen and grabbing a plate with two more gingerbread cookies. "Of course. How about you make them and surprise us when you're done?"

He thought about it before looking at her. "You make clothes first?"

"Absolutely." She reached for the white icing, drawing the outlines for clothes on all of the gingerbread cookies before taking Spencer's hand. "Let's go, godfather. Let's leave the artist to work."

They walked back into the kitchen to find that Henry had actually done pretty well at decorating everyone. The likeness of Garcia had blonde hair with purple stripes in it, which she said she'd definitely need to try out. Spencer's was wearing a purple shirt and had a scribble of brown for his hair on top. He put the JJ and Will ones together and had JJ in a pink shirt and black skirt, while Will was in what looked like a nice suit. Garcia had high fived him on it and commended him on a job well done, while Spencer looked at the Henry, wearing Spider-Man colors and gave him a thumbs up.

The three of them waited for JJ and Will to get home to check out the house before eating any of it. Garcia took several photos before the five of them enjoyed their cookie selves and admired their handiwork on the gingerbread house.


	15. Presents: Morgan & Reid

**Presents  
><strong>**Pairing:** Morgan/Reid

Derek Morgan was always an expert present giver. As soon as he'd gotten a job and started buying presents, he was great at picking out _the_ perfect gift for someone. Even when he was involved in a Secret Santa, he was the best at it and everyone envied him. He never thought the day would come where he'd meet his match and have trouble coming up with the perfect gift. Then Spencer Reid happened.

When they were just co-workers, they never did anything too big for each other. They'd just do a simple, small gift for everyone on the team, and that was that. When they'd started dating, that had complicated everything. He was positive that Spencer Reid was the absolute worst person in the world to shop for. The fact that he was able to find something for his sisters, who were next to impossible,and not Spencer was driving him up a wall.

Finally, he decided to seek out the help of someone on the team. He was sitting in Garcia's lair, shifting in the chair and tossing a ball in the air, sighing.

"What do you get for a guy who doesn't want anything, says he doesn't need anything, and really doesn't celebrate the holiday? he asked.

"This is tearing you up, isn't it?"

"A little bit," he admitted.

She clicked her tongue. "Plus, you don't know if a case is going to take your holiday away."

"Exactly."

Drumming her fingers against her desk. "To be honest, all he ever wants in life is some peace and quiet and time to himself so he could read the ten million books left in the universe that he hasn't touched."

Derek nodded slightly before sitting up. "Wait, what?"

"I was kidding. There's probably at least twenty million he hasn't read. Maybe even more."

He bit his lip, grinning. "Penelope Garcia, you are a _genius_." He kissed her cheek before going back to his desk and planning out Spencer's present.

A few days before Christmas, the two of them were going for a drive.

"Where are we going?" Spencer asked him, leaning back in his seat.

"Picking up your Christmas gift," Derek explained.

"Why are we doing Christmas a few days early anyway?"

"Well aren't you a man of a million questions," Derek said, smirking. "Because it's easier this way, so nothing gets in the way of Christmas, even if God forbid a case happens. Fine by you?"

Spencer shrugged. "Fine by me."

The two of them pulled up in front of a bookstore and Spencer turned to him, confused. "What's this?"

"Stop number one: a used bookstore. Pick up as many books as you want, on me. Then we're going to get you to the coffee shop to get any drink you want, then the two of us are going to do what feels impossible. We're going to have a quiet day at my place. Phones silenced. No TVs. Just each other's company."

Spencer raised an eyebrow, impressed. "Wow."

"Wow good or wow bad?"

Spencer looked at him, grinning. "Wow _amazing_." He leaned over, kissing Derek's cheek. "Best Christmas present ever."

"...Really?"

He nodded. "Really."


	16. Fireplace: Prentiss & Reid

**Fireplace**

**Pairing:** Prentiss/Reid

Emily had left work early to get some Christmas shopping done, and afterward, decided to pick up something for dinner for her and Spencer that night. When she got back to her apartment, she looked at the living room and thought to herself before getting an idea. She grabbed all of their spare comforters and blankets, as well as a bunch of pillows, setting them on the floor of the living room and putting the pillows around. She put a few logs into the fireplace before starting a fire. Finally, she put a tablecloth over the blankets for while they ate dinner.

When Spencer walked into the apartment, she turned around to face him. "Good afternoon at work?"

He shrugged off his jacket, hanging it up. "Morgan tried to pawn off five of his case files on me. Luckily, JJ had ratted him out and told me where he put them in the stack. As my revenge, I put in a few of mine when I returned them, and he didn't notice."

"Very sneaky, genius."

"I owed him one… well, to be honest, I probably owe him over a hundred by now." He turned around, raising an eyebrow. "And what's this?"

She motioned toward the takeout trays. "Dinner, courtesy of your favorite restaurant, followed by movies and cuddling in front of the fireplace, if you don't mind."

He took off his shoes, setting them by the couch, before sitting beside her. "I don't mind at all. What'd you cook?"

She smirked, opening up the tray and holding it out to him. "Since we lived off of sandwiches the last case, I figured a good pasta dish was in order."

"You figured correctly." He took the tray from her, picking up a fork and taking a bite.

She smiled, opening her own tray.

Once they were done eating, they changed into their pajamas and she loaded up the DVD player, sitting beside Spencer with the remote in hand. "Ready?"

He thought about it before wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "Now I am."

She smiled, shaking her head and pressing Play, leaning against him.

The two of them stayed that way for a couple of movies before they decided they should turn in. Emily pressed the button on the remote, turning off the TV, and tossed the remote onto the table, looking at Spencer. "Ready for bed?"

He eyed the pile of blankets beneath them. "...Or we could stay out here."

"Oh?"

He cleared his throat. "Well, I admit, it's not as good as your bed, but something tells me that all of these blankets and the warmth of a fireplace could make for a comfortable sleeping environment."

She put up a finger, lying back and adjusting some of the pillows, nodding. "Look at that. Spencer Reid is correct about something," she said, patting the spot beside her.

"It tends to happen," he said, smiling and lying down beside her, pulling a blanket over them.


	17. Socks: Rossi Team (Blake era)

**Stockings/socks  
><strong>**Pairing: **N/A

David Rossi was the kind of guy who knew what he liked. He wore his expensive cologne, enjoyed his Italian suits, and had a taste for the finer things in life. Nobody ever saw him as anything more than a perfectionist or a typical rich man who indulged in whatever he pleased - usually scotch and vinyls. The team knew that he was never one to stray from his lifestyle, and never expected him to.

The first time, it was spotted by Garcia, and she was pretty sure she was seeing things. There was no way that David Rossi would show up to work wearing kelly green socks. That's just something that would never happen in a million years. She shook it off and told herself she had to be imagining it. A few days later, Alex could've sworn she saw red and white stripes as he walked from his office to Hotch's. She tried catching it when he was walking back, but had been buried too deeply in her work to see it again. She dismissed it and said it was just the long hours getting to her. Not long after, JJ had spotted an odd pattern on his socks as he walked by - something she believed to have been reindeer, but there was no possible way. She was obviously just seeing things.

"Have you seen it?"

Alex looked up from her work, confused. "Excuse me?"

Garcia leaned against her desk, arms crossed. "I can't be the only one. A few days ago, David Rossi was wearing socks. Specifically, bright green socks. I can't be losing my mind. I really think I saw it. And JJ did too."

JJ put up her hand. "I didn't see the green. I saw a pattern, possibly reindeer."

"See? So I can't be going crazy if someone else has seen it!" Garcia stated. "Have you seen anything out of the ordinary?"

Alex shrugged. "I uh, haven't been here too long, but I think I saw him wearing candy cane stripes the day before yesterday?" she offered.

Spencer raised his hand over at his desk, still busy with his work. "Snowflakes last Saturday," he mumbled, before picking up his pen and making notes.

"Of all people in the world though," Garcia started, "why would _he_ have Christmas socks? I highly doubt they're made by Armani. Totally not his style."

"Garcia," JJ mumbled, trying to motion behind her.

"But seriously!" she insisted. "He's Mr. 'I'm Italian and love my alcohol and my famous friends and listening to vinyls'. Christmas socks? Come on." She heard a throat clear behind her and closed her eyes, wincing. "Awkward moment where the person I'm talking about is right behind me and heard every single word I said?"

"Bingo was her name-o," Rossi said, crossing his arms.

She turned around. "Okay, fine. I'll ask the source himself. What's with the socks?"

He looked down at his pant leg and lifted it slightly to reveal red and green stripes then shrugged, smiling. "What can I say? It's fun to mess with people's heads and see their reactions. Tomorrow? Penguins in scarves."

Before Garcia could give any sort of reaction, he smiled, walking back to his office.


	18. Cookies: LaMontagnes

**Cookies  
><strong>**Pairing:** N/A

JJ and Will had an entire weekend off together, pending any cases or emergencies coming up, so they decided to plan on doing something with Henry. They thought about doing a gingerbread house, but realized he would spend the whole time eating the candy and not understanding the concept of it - and they knew because he'd done this with Garcia not too long ago. They also contemplated taking him sledding, but decided against it since there wasn't enough snow on the ground. Finally, they came to the conclusion that they could spend their day making (and enjoying) Christmas cookies together.

She had mixed together all of the dough and decided to let Henry use the cutters and put the dough on the pans, while Will put them all in the oven. Once they were taken out of the oven and cooled, JJ looked over at him.

"Want to put icing and sprinkles on these?" she asked, pointing to the cookies all over the table.

"Can Daddy help?"

JJ smiled, looking up at Will. "Can he?"

"I think I can do that," he said, walking over and sitting across from them. "What should I decorate?"

Henry pointed to a set of cookies that looked like Christmas trees. "Those need to be green and sparkly."

Will saluted him, picking up the green icing.

"What about these?" JJ asked, pointing to the snowflake shaped ones in front of her.

"White and blue and sparkly," he told her.

"That sounds amazing. What'll you do?"

He thought to himself, pointing to the stocking. "Those in red!"

JJ clicked her tongue, eyeing Will. "It looks like we have a smart cookie on our hands."

Will smiled, nodding. "I'd say so."

A few hours later, every single cookie they'd made had been decorated by them. JJ eyed the table. "And what are we going to do with all of these perfectly done, delicious looking cookies?"

"Don't say eat 'em," Will said, "that'd give you a tummy ache and we don't want that."

Henry chewed on his cheek before gasping. "I take some to school, then _you_ take some to work."

JJ smiled. "How about you pick one out for each of your aunts and uncles on Mommy's team, and I'll be sure they get them?"

"Can I write their names?"

She nodded, taking out some bags from one of the drawers in the kitchen. "Absolutely." She set the bags in front of him and watched him carefully as he wrote all of their names out, then helped him select which cookies went to which person. "And you can do them for Daddy's coworkers too."

He grinned, picking out those cookies, then putting the cookies into separate bags for them to take to work.

On Monday morning, JJ arrived at work earlier than usual, setting everyone's cookies on their desks and sitting down at her own and getting some paperwork done.

Spencer walked in, looking down at his desk and seeing the bag with his name on it. He opened it up and saw a stocking done up in purple. He smiled to himself, eyeing JJ. "I take it this is a gift from Henry?"

She nodded, leaning back in her chair. "To quote him, 'Uncle Spence doesn't need Christmas colors - purple's his _favorite_!'."

"He's right about that." He sat down, eyeing it. "Tell him thank you for me," he said, picking off a piece and taking a bite.

She gave him a thumbs up before smiling, going back to her work.


	19. Santa: Rossi, JJ & Garcia

**Santa  
><strong>**Pairing: **N/A

After learning that he was not only a father but a grandfather as well, Rossi decided that he needed to make up for lost time. It had been amazing meeting Joy and her husband, and spending time with his grandson for the first time. He could've been fooling himself, but he could've sworn he saw a little bit of himself in the boy, and he definitely didn't want to rob him of having a 'cool' grandpa that he could tell all of his friends about in a few years.

One day while at work, he was on his break and checked his e-mail. Joy and her husband had recently moved, and he had asked for their address to send a few Christmas presents their way. She tried saying he didn't need to, but he wasn't having any of it. After getting her address, he started shopping. He'd called in the help of JJ and Garcia, as he knew nothing about children, and obviously his three divorces showed that he knew even less about women. They'd helped him pick out a few things they thought Joy would like, and talked him out of bad purchasing decisions.

"Tell me about Kai," JJ said, leaning against his desk and crossing her arms.

"Why?"

"One, because we want to know, and two, because you're holding back details on the little guy and that's _absolutely_ not fair!" Garcia told him.

He shrugged, taking his phone out of his pocket and showing her a picture.

Garcia leaned over, looking at the picture and squealing. "Oh my, he is the cutest little button!"

He nodded. "He's two and a half, he loves music and dancing and some show with little merpeople, and another show with Mickey Mouse."

JJ nodded. "Bubble Guppies and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse." Both Rossi and Garcia gave her a look and she shrugged. "I'm a mom. Is it that surprising?"

He shook his head. "I'm lost."

Garcia nudged his chair out of the way and immediately went onto several websites. "Anything off of these and you can't go wrong."

JJ eyed the screen. "She's right."

He nodded. "One more thing. Can I sucker you two into helping me wrap these when they come in?"

"If you can promise that Joy will videotape him opening all of these so we can see."

He gave her a thumbs up before browsing the websites, clicking and ordering.

They stayed true to their word, helping him wrap every last present and put them into several boxes to ship out to California. He added a note to the top that there needed to recording of everything being opened, and signing it as 'Santa'. It wasn't until about a week later that he received a phone call from Joy, saying that he'd bought too much. He insisted that he was merely making up for lost time, but would have a word with the big guy about the amount of presents.

Later that day, Garcia and JJ were in Rossi's office, leaning over and watching his monitor as he played the video of little Kai opening his presents and saying 'thank you, Santa!' every few minutes.

Garcia grinned. "Aw, he is too sweet!"

JJ eyed Rossi. "You're going to go overboard again soon, aren't you?"

He shrugged. "This one was Santa… but he has a birthday coming up and that? That'll be from grandpa."


	20. Sled: Team (Emily era)

**Sled  
><strong>**Pairing:** N/A

Overworked was definitely an understatement when it came to the team. It seemed like when one case would end, another one would pop up and get in the way of them having a personal life. They were all slowly but surely becoming burnt out, and it was no secret. When the news got out that they would _actually_ have a weekend to themselves, they could never remember being so relieved. Everyone had caught up on some much needed sleep on Saturday. When their phones rang that afternoon, they all dreaded an upcoming case. To their relief, it was just Rossi calling, saying that they were all going to a resort tomorrow, on him, and would spend the day getting rid of all of their stress.

They all met at Rossi's house first thing in the morning, and all of them were excited to see he had sprung for transportation so there would be no swap-off driving or anything of the such. They enjoyed another hour or so of sleep on the ride up to the resort and when the bus stopped, Rossi stood up.

"Everybody out."

They all woke up, stepping off of the bus and looking at the hills. "...It looks like the place is empty," Derek spoke up.

"That's because it's reserved for the day," he told them. "Not quite ski or snowboard conditions, but my buddy told me it's a great place for sledding."

Garcia raised her eyebrows. "Never been."

"Anyone else?"

Spencer raised his hand. "Not even once."

He eyed Emily, JJ, Derek, and Hotch. "And you four?"

"Mom - been there, done that," JJ told him.

"Several wintery places growing up," Emily reminded.

"Chicago."

"Dad."

He nodded. "Time to give the two newbies a crash course. Should we start on the bunny hills?"

"_Hell_ no!" Derek spoke up. "Start it big."

Rossi laughed. "Just what I like to hear." He walked back onto the bus and grabbed a bunch of sleds, walking off. "Take your picks."

Everyone had chosen a sled and followed as he led them up the tallest hill. He eyed his sled and looked across at them. "I say all at once for the first go," he started, setting his sled on the ground.

The experienced ones nodded their agreement, doing the same, while Spencer looked at it uneasily.

"...So who's going to catch us if we fall?"

"A little thing called the snow," Derek explained. "On the count of three, you just get in, push off, and slide down. Plain and simple."

"...I don't know. In 2010 alone, there were over 20,000 sledding injuries-"

"And I'm sure they were all kids who didn't listen and did stupid shit," Emily explained. "It won't be that bad."

He clicked his tongue, nodding.

Garcia looked around. "Fine, but if I fall and see a single smartphone out to take a picture, I swear to whatever deities may be-"

"You'll destroy us?" JJ offered. "We know."

Garcia sighed, saluting Spencer. "See you at the bottom."

He nodded. "Likewise."

Rossi counted down and everyone got into their sleds, going down the hill. Both Spencer and Garcia had held onto their sleds for dear life on the way down, but halfway down, Garcia decided to let go and enjoy the rest of it. When they'd all reached the bottom, JJ turned to Spencer.

"How'd you like it?"

He shrugged. "I didn't injure myself."

"Well, that's good, but did you have fun?"

"My definition of fun is being at home, where it's safe-"

Derek clicked his tongue. "Back up the hill, junior. You're doing this until you have fun."

"That's ridiculous. One can't be forced to have fun."

He looked to Rossi for support, but he shook his head. "Sorry, I'm with Morgan on this one. Get back up there, or I'm not letting you on the bus home."

Spencer's mouth hung open before he groaned, trudging back up the hill.

It took a few runs, but Spencer was finally smiling and laughing on his way down, and Garcia openly admitted that it was the most fun she'd had in a while. After several more times down the hill, they all decided to sit in the lodge and enjoy some hot chocolate, enjoying the last of the little time they had away from work before they jumped back into the chaos.


	21. Snowman: Elle & Reid

**Snowman  
><strong>**Pairing: **Elle/Reid friendship

While they were in a case in Vermont, Spencer had noticed a snowman in the park they were walking through and wondered what it was. Elle absolutely couldn't believe that he'd _never_ seen a snowman in his life, let alone built one. She tried talking to him about it, but he used his famous 'I'm from Vegas' excuse, shrugged it off, and that was the end of the conversation.

On their next weekend, Elle called him to meet her in the park and gave no further details. She wasn't sure her plan would actually work until she saw him walking toward her, his bag by his side and his hand buried in his pockets.

"Did you bring gloves?" she asked.

He raised an eyebrow, reaching in his pocket and taking out a pair of gloves. "Yes, why?"

She motioned toward the snow all around them. "It's about time you have a learning experience, Doctor Reid."

"I don't say this very often, but I'm confused."

She grinned. "Good. It's time for me to teach you something for a change." She motioned toward a snowball in her hand. "Know what this is?"

"...Snow?"

"And do you know what it can become?"

"...Water, once it melts?"

She shook her head, pointing to a snowman that a kid had left in the park not too far from them. "A snowman."

"...An anthropomorphic structure made of snow."

She looked at him, confused. "Sure. That. All you have to do is start with a snowball." He gave her a look, but she stared at him. "Come _on_, what's going to happen?"

He shrugged before reaching down, picking up some snow and making it into a ball.

"Now, roll it round in the snow to make it bigger. We need a large, medium, and small ball to make this snowman right."

It took them some time, But they'd finally made the three snowballs, despite Spencer not seeing the point of it and vocalizing this several times. With Spencer's help, she'd stacked the three balls on top of each other, making the perfect shape of a snowman.

"...That's it?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No, that's not it." She grabbed a box off of the bench nearby, holding it out. "We need to decorate him."

Spencer looked inside to see a carrot, an old scarf, a hat, coal, and several rocks. "...I'm confused."

"I've confused the great mind of Spencer Reid? Let me call Guinness."

He mock laughed, taking out the carrot. "What is this?"

"His nose. Go put it on."

He raised an eyebrow before stepping over, trying to find the perfect spot before placing it.

She grabbed a few pieces of coal, putting them in as eyes. "See it coming together?"

He pointed to the rocks. "And that?"

"...His smile," she said matter-of-factly, picking up the rocks and putting them in one by one, before holding out his scarf. "You take that and I'll take the hat."

He unraveled the scarf, wrapping it around the snowman's neck and tying it.

Once Elle had put on the hat, she stepped back, admiring their work. "Not bad for a first attempt," she said, smiling. She then took a camera out of her pocket, taking a picture. "Now get in there."

"...What?"

She pointed at the snowman. "Spencer Reid, get a picture with your masterpiece."

He opened his mouth to argue but shook his head, walking over and standing beside it as Elle took a picture.

Afterward, the two of them went out for some hot cocoa and after getting the pictures developed, Elle left one on his desk, and it's still hung up there to this day.


	22. Jingle Bells: Hotch & Rossi

**Jingle Bells  
><strong>**Pairing: **N/A

Hotch hung up the phone in his office, shaking his head.

Rossi knocked on the door frame. "Is everything okay?"

He looked up, clearing his throat. "That was Jack's principal."

"...Did something happen? If you need to go get him, we'll understand, and if there's a case, we can do it without you-"

Hotch put up his hand, shaking his head. "He's fine. He's healthy, nothing's broken on him, no major problems. I just needed to be informed that he and a couple of his friends were called into the office today."

"Did he get in trouble?" he asked, taking the seat in front of his desk.

Hotch paused. "...Sort of? He, uh, he's been hanging out with some new friends lately, and since it's Christmas, they've been singing a different version of Jingle Bells."

Rossi looked at him, confused. "What?"

He cleared his throat. "I just got a call because he was singing 'Jingle Bells, Batman Smells' instead of the classic version."

Rossi clicked his tongue. "Well. He _is_ a fan of the Marvel heroes," he offered.

Hotch laughed to himself. "Clearly."

"They're kids - what's life without switching up a Christmas carol or two?"

"And trust me, when I heard it was the principal, I was expecting _much_ worse. My question is how do you punish a kid who was just having fun with his friends?"

Rossi put up his hands. "You could always _not_ punish him and give him one of those 'stern talking-to's' most parents do?"

"I guess I'll have to."

"One question before I go."

Hotch eyed him. "Okay?"

"So in his version is it 'the Joker got away' or 'the Joker does ballet'? I'm obviously an old-timer and don't know which one is 'modern' and figure a kid could clear it up."

Hotch chuckled. "With him, it's 'Joker got away'."

Rossi nodded. "Good to know." He saluted him before getting up, walking back to his office, leaving Hotch to laugh about the situation before getting back to work.


	23. Carols: Garcia & Kate

**Carols  
><strong>**P****airing:** N/A

Garcia groaned, tilting her head back. "Come on, JJ. You said you'd do it with me one year."

"And I said I can't do it with you this weekend. We're finishing up Christmas shopping for Henry, then we're going to visit my mom," JJ explained. "You can go by yourself."

Garcia scoffed. "Yeah, because that's not pathetic at all." She perked up, turning around to Spencer. "Oh Boy Wonder."

"I don't know how to put this," he started, "but you were the person who told me I should start saying the word 'no' when I don't want to do something… so I'm going with the very plain and simple 'no'." He gave her a smile before returning to the work in front of him.

JJ laughed to herself while Garcia sighed.

"What about Morgan? You could probably sucker him into it."

She shook her head. "It's his 'I'm headed to Chicago to enjoy the holiday and forget the BAU exists' weekend. And I'd have better luck of catching a leprechaun and getting his pot of gold than getting David Rossi to do anything, let alone sing Christmas carols with me. If they're not by Dean, forget about it."

JJ nodded. "Sounds about right." She thought to herself before shrugging. "You could always ask Kate?" she offered. "You two bonded over baby animals pretty well. I'm sure she wouldn't mind doing you a favor and doing something together."

Garcia thought it over and nodded. "When does she get back from lunch?"

JJ checked her watch. "About ten minutes."

She leaned against JJ's desk. "Then I'll wait."

When she came back, she walked over to Spencer's desk, setting down a cup of coffee and a small bag before sitting at her own desk, pulling her jacket off.

"She makes sure Boy Wonder eats… super bonus points."

She smiled, pointing to him. "Meg gets that same face when studying. If I don't feed her, she doesn't eat."

"So he's a second pseudo daughter."

"Something like that," she answered, before pulling a file down from her pile.

Garcia clicked her tongue a few times before exhaling. "Do you think maybe you want to do something Saturday night?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Something as in drinking? Can't. Husband's out of town and I'm in charge of Meg. Day or early evening something? Sure."

"Well, I usually go caroling around my neighborhood and it's no fun alone. Everyone else has given me a pretty solid 'no', so I was wondering if maybe perhaps you'd want to come with? You could back out after a few houses if you're bored. I promise, I just-"

"I'd love to, and I'm sure Meg would love to tag along," Kate said, cutting her off and smiling. "Where and what time?"

Garcia squealed excitedly. "Meet at my apartment about 6-ish?"

Kate nodded. "We'll be there."

Garcia clapped her hands together, blowing her a kiss. "And that's why _you're_ my favorite!" She grinned before going back to her cave.

JJ turned to Kate. "You're serious?"

She nodded. "I take Meg every year and we just haven't had the time. This is perfect."

She raised her eyebrows. "You two are more alike than I thought."


	24. Chestnuts: Rossi & Emily

**Chestnuts  
><strong>**Pairing: **N/A

The sound of something in the oven is what alerted everybody that a mistake had been made. Rossi had offered to roast some chestnuts for movie night, as it was his favorite treat, but Emily had insisted she could do it and he didn't need to do the cooking for once. She'd never roasted a chestnut before in her life, but she figured it was pretty self explanatory. Everyone turned to look at Rossi, who paused the movie, put up his hands, and walked out to the kitchen.

"Emily, dare I ask what happened?"

She had the oven opened up and wore oven mitts, reaching inside. "Nothing, I'm taking care of it!" she announced, wincing as the side of her arm touched the oven.

He walked over, tapping her back. "Out of my oven."

She sighed, stepping back and looking at the oven. "You could've warned me that those nuts are like little pieces of TNT and, when they're heated, they decide exploding is a fun thing to do."

He looked inside and shook his head. "Did you score them first?"

"What, like on a scale of 1-10?" she asked, eyebrow raised. "I mean, they _looked_ good raw, but you said they need to be cooked."

He rubbed his temple. "So I'll take that as a no?"

"...That'd be a no."

"And not once growing up in several foreign countries did you roast a chestnut or watch somebody do it?"

She bit her lip. "My mother hired people to do all the cooking and I wasn't allowed in the kitchen?"

He walked over to the bag of chestnuts on the table, pouring them out onto the counter, grabbing a clean pan, and setting it down. "Lesson time."

"I knew I'd be punished for causing an explosion in the oven," she mumbled.

He smiled. "Come on, it'll be easy."

He decided that he would show her the proper technique for preparing chestnuts.

"Is the oven preheated to 400?"

She leaned over, turning it back on and closing the door. "It's getting there."

He picked up a knife, setting a chestnut in front of him. "All you have to do is make an 'x' in the chestnut with a knife on the flat side of the nut so you can let the steam escape."

"So built up steam made those chestnuts hulk out on me?"

He nodded. "Precisely." He then held out the knife to her. "All yours."

He stood over her as, one by one, she cut into the chestnuts and put them onto the pan. Once they were in the oven, he set a timer. "All you need to do is wait until that goes off, wrap them in a towel out of the pan to crush the skins, leave them wrapped up a few minutes, peel the rest of the shell, then serve them up."

She scoffed. "I knew I should've made popcorn."

He patted her shoulder. "We'll be waiting while we finish watching Home Alone."


	25. Christmas Movies: Team (Emily era)

**Author's Note:** Thanks to everyone for reading the 25 Days of Christmas challenge this year! I had a lot of fun with it and loved writing so many different characters from the Criminal Minds universe. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, everyone!

* * *

><p><strong><span>Christmas Movies<span>  
><strong>**Pairing:** N/A

It was tradition that on every Christmas day, the team would do their own individual celebrations on Christmas morning, and after they were done, they would all gather at Rossi's for an amazing home-cooked meal and some Christmas movies. This year, since there was an incident with Die Hard being played last year when Jack wasn't completely asleep in a guest room, all movies needed to be child appropriate. Everyone would bring their favorite movie from childhood, or just their favorite family Christmas movie.

Once they were all gathered at Rossi's, he looked through the selection of movies, impressed. "Before dinner, we've got time for one movie. Our choices are... _Elf_, _The Muppet Christmas Carol_ which I'm guessing is courtesy of Reid, _Frosty the Snowman_, _Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer_, _Santa Claus is Coming to Town_, _A Charlie Brown Christmas, The Santa Clause_… all good choices."

"And why is _The Muppet Christmas Carol_ from me?" Spencer asked.

"Could be because you've been humming the soundtrack at work for the past week and a half," JJ offered.

"Actually, it's the last two weeks," Garcia added, and they both laughed when he seemed to huff and turn away from them. "Not that it's a bad thing. It's a fantastic movie."

Rossi held it up. "Then should this come first?"

Derek shrugged. "Sure, let's make the Pretty Boy happy."

He put the movie into the DVD player and sat in his chair, grabbing the remote and pressing play.

While the movie was playing, everyone snuggled up in a blanket and watched closely, enjoying the time watching movies and not having to worry about the job. If someone was listening closely, they heard a small whisper that said the words along with the movie, and after little inspection, they'd realize it was Hotch, whispering the words into Jack's ear as it was playing and Jack smiling. Nobody thought anything of it and would just smile, going back to the movie. After dinner, he continued doing it with each movie and Christmas special they watched, and Jack looked just as happy with each one.

It wasn't until the end of the night that someone decided to ask about it.

"I'd think Reid's the only one who could memorize all the kids' movies," Emily started, pulling on her jacket and fixing her hair.

Spencer gave her a look before realizing that it was mostly true, shrugging it off and putting on his scarf.

"You really knew every single one?" Garcia asked.

He nodded, helping Jack into his jacket. "Every word to every single one. It's a dad thing."

"And a mom thing," JJ added. "I can't tell you how many times we watched _How the Grinch Stole Christmas_ so far this winter. I've got it from beginning to end - though I did call on Spence to help out with those little Who toys."

"Glad I could help," he said, holding the door open and waving goodbye to everyone before saying a goodbye to Rossi and heading out.


End file.
